No More Learning

and Hotten's _History of Signboards_, pp. 325 and 362.

=1. 1. 69 Belins-gate. = Stow (ed. Thoms, p. 78) describes
Belins-gate as 'a large water-gate, port or harborough. ' He
mentions the tradition that the name was derived from that of
Belin, King of the Britons, but discredits it. Billingsgate is
on the Thames, a little below London Bridge, and is still the
great fish-market of London.

=1. 1. 70 shoot the Bridge. = The waterway under the old
London Bridge was obstructed by the narrowness of the arches,
by cornmills built in some of the openings, and by the great
waterworks at its southern end. 'Of the arches left open some
were too narrow for the passage of boats of any kind.
The widest
was only 36 feet, and the resistance caused to so large a body
of water on the rise and fall of the tide by this contraction of
its channel produced a fall or rapid under the bridge, so that
it was necessary to "ship oars" to _shoot the bridge_, as it was
called,--an undertaking, to amateur watermen especially, not
unattended with danger. "With the flood-tide it was impossible,
and with the ebb-tide dangerous to pass through or _shoot_ the
arches of the bridge. " In the latter case prudent passengers
landed above the bridge, generally at the _Old Swan Stairs_, and
walked to some wharf, generally _Billingsgate_, below it. '--Wh-C.

=1. 1. 70 the Cranes i' the Vintry. = These were 'three strong cranes of
timber placed on the Vintry wharf by the Thames to crane up wine there
(Stow, ed. Thoms, p. 00). They were situated in Three Cranes' lane, and
near by was the famous tavern mentioned as one of the author's favorite
resorts (_Bart. Fair_ 1. 1, _Wks. _ 4. 356). Jonson speaks of it again
in _The Silent Woman_, _Wks.